Worcester airport upgrade is only a matter of time

The Environmental Notification Form for the proposed work at Worcester Regional Airport was released this week, and while the document contains few surprises, there is a lot of information.

Massport, which is gearing up to install a CAT-III Instrument Landing System and a new taxiway, submitted the ENF to the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Although the airport's entrance and about half of its acreage is in Worcester, all of the proposed work will be done at the end of Runway 11, in Leicester.

The form lays out a timeline for work to start in 2015 and end in 2017. Even in the most optimistic of scenarios — which is what a form like this promotes — the airport cannot expect to shed its fog-cancelation problems for the next three to four years.

The form is required because the proposed work will have an impact on nearby wetlands such as the Kettle Brook Reservoir, Lynde Brook and the Lynde Brook Reservoir. Wetlands and flood plains are on both sides of Runway 11 and, with an addition of about 2.2 acres of paved surface, these areas will be affected.

The form is also required because a rare bird species, called the grasshopper sparrow, lives in the grasslands where the proposed work will occur. (No mention is made in the form of the snowy owl, a rare bird which has been spotted on the airport property in recent weeks.) And there are potentially some historic sites on the property — old homes long destroyed and some sites with "pre-contact Native American archaeological sensitivity."

The CAT-III Instrument Landing System is intended to alleviate the airport's persistent fog problem. Currently, if visibility is restricted to less than a quarter mile, flights have to be diverted to airports in Boston and Providence. Fog cancellations have plagued JetBlue since it launched service to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando from the airport in November 2013. JetBlue had to cancel a Florida-bound flight this week because of fog, but it should be noted that the airline had gone several weeks in a row without a cancellation.

"The proposed new CAT III ILS equipment and infrastructure upgrades would allow for aircraft to land on Runway 11 under virtually all weather conditions when the visibility conditions are below the current ceiling height of 200 feet and less than 1,800-foot runway visibility," according to the form.

In addition to wetland and rare-bird issues, the form also lays out how construction vehicles will enter and exit the site, which is sure to be of interest to Leicester residents.

Construction vehicles will enter and exit the site via Mulberry Street, via Route 20 and Route 56. Mulberry Street is described as 27 feet wide, with no centerline or shoulder striping, and a "fairly winding horizontal alignment." In other words, a nightmare for trucks and Mulberry Street residents alike.

The form is available for viewing on Massport's website, massport.com.

Public comment on the contents of the form will be taken by Massport starting Jan. 22, and running through Feb. 21. A meeting on the contents of the form will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 6 in the boardroom of the Worcester Regional Airport.

No quorum at the WRA

Had the Worcester Redevelopment Authority held its scheduled meeting this week, it would likely have named Deputy City Solicitor Michael E. Traynor as the interim chief executive officer for the authority. He would have replaced Timothy J. McGourthy, who is set to leave the position in favor of becoming executive director of the Worcester Research Bureau on Jan. 25. (Mr. McGourthy serves as head of the WRA in his position as the city's chief development officer, which he is also leaving in favor of the research bureau.)

The board might have also discussed an update with what is happening with the lease by the WRA of vacant space on the first floor of the Union Station Garage, or signed a contract with an urban renewal consultant.

However, they did nothing. Only two members — Steve Rothschild and Robert Thomas — showed up. Three are required for a quorum.

Board chairman and former state Rep. Vincent Pedone regularly attends these meetings, but was stuck at another meeting in Boston. Members John Donahue Jr., who has missed four of the last six meetings, and Robert Diaz, who attends about half the time, were also not present.

According to meeting minutes posted on the city's website, Mr. Diaz last attended a WRA meeting in July, and has missed seven of the board's last 12 meetings, including the first meeting of 2014. He is Gov. Deval Patrick's appointment to the board; the rest of the members are appointed by the city manager.

The meeting is supposed to be rescheduled before Mr. McGourthy leaves on Jan. 25.